Barney is an Angel Now.

[Medusa]

This makes me feel like crying. I'm w/you, Lara, I certainly don't want to bail on him. Unless an animal is truly suffering, I feel there's no such thing as a lost cause. I do understand your position, though; your husband has a say in all this as well and Angela can't stay forever. Usually when I feel that things are out of my hands, I gain a sense of peace but in this instance, I'm feeling sad for this sweet boy. He's had such a sad, tough life and now he's learning how loving the human touch can be. To take it all away from him would just be so cruel but if he's so sick and there's no one who can care for him, you may have no choice. I know how much you love the guy and you've put forth such effort. I wish I was there to help. I hope that when I read an update tomorrow that there's some good news in all this. Whatever the case may be, all of us PTers know how hard you've tried w/Barney and how much you love him. God, this is so sad. I want so badly to hug that boy. His sweet face just haunts me. He looked so scared and sick in the beginning and now he looks so peaceful and content, even though he's still sick. Sigh. I'm making things worse, so I'll sign off for now, praying that all will go well for Barney.

[Emeraldgreen]

Thank you guys for your posts. I really appreciate them.

I'm so happy to report that Barney has tested NEGATIVE for both FELV and FIV. The vet left a message this morning and I was scared to call back. Robin (the vet) said "I've got quite a bit to tell you. First, he's negative." I said "Miracles really do happen!!" and she laughed and said "they do!".
She said that they retested his thyroid and now it's low! She figures this is due to the meds and too much of them so he's going down to 1/2 a tablet a day instead of twice a day. She said this would also explain why he was so sleepy all the time.
His white blood cell count is still very high so the Convenia injection had no effect on it. She said that she thinks the high white blood cell count is due to the infection in his ears though she said there is still a chance he has FIP. But she said she doesn't think it's FIP but needed to tell me in case it is because it is contagious to other cats. So, I'm a bit worried about big beautiful Jack. They have been sniffing noses a few times Angela said. I asked her to keep them apart if she could. Apparently the litterbox is the main way it is transmitted. Jack does his business outside. I asked Robin if after visiting with Barney should I be putting all my clothes in the washer as soon as I get home and showering before I handle my cats (which I have been doing). She said it wouldn't hurt to maybe get some Barney coveralls that I could wear when I hold him just to be on the safe side.
They tested Barney's glucose and it is still up there but she said she wasn't surprised. It's too soon to see much improvement with that.
She said she's written up a game plan for Barney and went through it with me. First and foremost we need to get the infection under control and get him to gain weight. She sent Angela home with Surolan drops yesterday and today she said she wants to put him on Clavamox for a few weeks. I have 5 tablets on hand so she will prescribe 10 more that I'll pick up tomorrow.

She said that if he gains weight and the white blood cell count goes down, it would be fair to assume that he is FIP negative. She thinks that he would have already died by now if he did have it but it will be good when he turns a corner and starts to improve.

Well, that's the news. Gotta go to work now.

[lvpets2002]

Well thats Great News on the FELV/FIV Negative.. Come on Barney Get Well Real Soon.. Sending Lots of Good Kitty Vibes & Huggss & Prayers for you & your meowmom..

[Moesha]

I am so glad to read that update. When I got up this morning and didn't see anything about him, I got a little more worried. Keep up the good work with Barney!! Another thing to think about is that one of the symptoms of diabetes is a cat that eats alot and still loses weight. He has so much going against him that it is sad to think of his frail body fighting off everything it has been fighting against. But like you said, if you can get one thing turned in the right direction, the others may follow suit.

[Catty1]

Boy oh boy, Barney is sticking with it! I am sure he is being loved back to health.

Wouldn't it be great if he recovered to where he "only" has diabetes?

At least he didn't LOSE any weight, right?

Come on, sweetie, gain some weight. Maybe he'll eat more if he is less sleepy.

{{{hugs}}} to Beautiful Barney!

How are the donation cans going? Maybe you'll get a foster home when you post a good update at those sites.

[Medusa]

Like Moesha, I was afraid and nervous when I didn't see a post this morning. Barney has been a tiger through this entire ordeal. Ok, so we have to pray that he doesn't have FIP. If your vet thinks he probably would've died by now if he had it, then I'm going to hold on to that thought. We've got to get rid of the infection and get the thyroid under control and, hopefully, his diabetes will be manageable. Candace is right; I think Barney is being loved back to health, by you and Angela and your vet and all of the PT prayers that go up for him every day and night. What a little lovey!

[Purr-tender]

Whew, big sigh of relief! Like the others, when you hadn't posted by this morning I was really worried. As sick and beaten down as he was and is still hanging in there, I don't think he has FIP either. Like Catty said, at least he hasn't lost weight. That's another good thing. When is his next vet visit?

More prayers!
Mary